Despite the runway re-opening briefly in the early hours of this morning, it was closed again after another drone sighting.

Chris Woodroofe, Gatwick's chief operating officer, said drones had been spotted over the airport as late as 7am on Thursday.

The air traffic control tower at Gatwick Airport is seen through fields in southern England, Britain, October 9, 2016. A police helicopter was dispatched to track down the vehicle and its operator, so far without success.

Flights into Gatwick Airport, south of London, were diverted to other cities across the country while passengers waiting to take off faced long delays just days ahead of Christmas, the UK's Press Association news agency reported.

"Our airlines are working to provide affected passengers with hotel accommodation or transport passengers landing at other airports to Gatwick by other means, and Gatwick staff are looking after passengers in our terminals", the airport said.

The incident has caused more than 20 flights to be diverted to airports across the United Kingdom and continental Europe, according to data from the Flightradar24.com website.

Luke McComiskie's plane ended up in Manchester, and he described chaotic scenes as people tried to find their way home after more than three hours stuck onboard. Got a free can of Coke and Pringles.

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